“Clothe yourselves with the armor of God, so that you can resist the snares of the devil. Because our fight is not against enemies of flesh and blood, but against the Principalities and Powers, against the Sovereigns of this world of darkness, against the spirits of evil that inhabit space “ (Ephesians 6: 11-12).
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Passage from the epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord with the strength of his power.
11 Put on the armor of God, so that you can resist the snares of the devil.
12 Because our fight is not against enemies of flesh and blood, but against the Principalities and Powers, against the Sovereigns of this world of darkness, against the spirits of evil that inhabit space.
13 Therefore, put on the armor of God, so that you can resist in the evil day and stand firm after you have overcome all obstacles.
14 Stand tall, girded with the belt of truth and wearing righteousness as a breastplate.
15 Shield your feet with zeal to spread the Good News of peace.
16 Always have in your hand the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.
17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
18 Constantly raise all kinds of prayers and supplications, animated by the Spirit. Dedicate yourselves with tireless perseverance to intercede for all the brothers” (Ephesians 6: 10-18).
-Version: the book of the People of God
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The spiritual combat
In this verse of his Epistle to the EphesiansSaint Paul makes it clear that there is a evil powerwho not only acts in the world, but is also constantly fighting against the kingdom of God and against his children.
When you talk about evil powerreference is made to devil and you are fallen angels, also known as principalities and powers, which in turn are divided into different ranks or orders of intelligence. In some versions of the Bible, the term “dominators” is mentioned, which designates all those angels of evil that exercise dominion over the world; in fact, the apostle Paul even specifies that they live in the heavenly regions, and this allows us to understand that their action extends over the entire earth, since the Bible describes Satan as the “prince of this world” (John 12:31).
In this order of ideas, Saint Paul wants to warn Christians about their true enemies, that is, about those evil spirits that attack the soul, and that subdue those who live in sin.
At first glance, this verse could seem very worrying, if it were not for the fact that it is followed by a concrete response from the apostle to confront them:take all the combat equipment that God has given us!… Let us remember that God does not leave us alone in this spiritual battle, but puts his power at our disposal so that we can obtain victory. Here is a brief list of the weapons that the Lord has given us to overcome:
- gird with the belt of truth it refers to having a right spirit and a sincere soul. This is the attitude of those who live in the light of Christ, and who are not under the dominion of the lying powers of darkness, who hate everything related to the truth.
- Wear the breastplate of justice it is to be fortified against the attacks of evil.
- Announce the good news of salvation is to share the good news of peace and the Gospel of Christ to all those around us.
- To have the shield of faith it refers to being full of confidence in God, regardless of the temptations or circumstances that surround us.
- Drink the sword of the spiritknowing that the Spirit of God preserves us from evil desires and blasphemous thoughts.
Lastly, Saint Paul invites us to remain prayerful and vigilant, so that our spirit may remain awake and alert in all circumstances.
Put on your God-given battle gear with !
spiritual warfare it is a reality that affects, in one way or another, every Christian. For this reason, proposes you to discover a series of communities around spiritual combat, so that you can put on the weapons that God has given, and remain firm and strengthened in the Lord. For example:
- Join this novena to the Holy Archangels and ask for their powerful guidance and intercession in your difficult times, knowing that they are beings that God has placed at our service to help us fight.
- Be part of this prayer community and respond to the call of Pope Francis to pray the Holy Rosary every day, and to pray to Saint Michael, to repel the devil’s attacks on the Church of Christ.
- Pray this novena to Our Lady Undoing Knots, who, in her role as mother, can intercede for us to help us in our spiritual struggles.
Do not hesitate any longer: pray and receive the strength of God to obtain your victories with !